143 



The grant from the Colony to John Endicott, in 1655, is 

 to be seen at the State House. It describes the estate as 

 CATTA ISLAND. The will of John Endicott, dated on the 

 "2nd day of the 3d mo. called May" 1659, may be seen 

 at the Suffolk Registry of Probate ; so may an inventory 

 of his estate made after his death in 1665; both these 

 describe the property as CATTA ISLAND. At the Essex 

 Registry of Probate, a contemporary copy of the will of 

 John Endicott, made May 23, 1666, as well as the 

 original of the will of Zerobabel Endicott, the survivor 

 of his two sons, dated Nov. 23, 1683, and an official 

 copy of the same made in September, 1684, are on file. 

 All these describe the island by the name of CATTA. 

 Cat Cove had been called "Catt Cove" since 1638, when 

 Roger Conant had a house there. And Robert Cotta, 

 Cotty, or Cottie, is never known to have indulged in that 

 delightful orthographic license which our ancestors en- 

 joyed, but which we have surrendered, to the extent of 

 writing his name with' the letters CATTA. 



In a deed from an heir of the governor to Richard 

 Reed of Marblehead, dated Boston, March 10, 1687-8, 

 the island is conveyed and is described as being "com- 

 monly called and known by ye name of Catt Island." A 

 second inventory of Zerobabel's estate, dated March 4, 

 169(5-7, also describes it as "Catt Island att the mouth 

 of Marblehead Harbor." Thus it seems clear that, what- 

 ever was the origin of this singular designation, it attached 

 itself to the island before 1687; that it was an abbre- 

 viation of CATTA, ajid not in any way associated with 

 Robert Cotta, nor with the daughters of Zerobabel Endi- 

 cott ; whether with the Cat Boat, which may have come 

 down to its from the Norsemen, whether with fitUs 

 domestica, the "harmless, necessary cat," we cannot de- 

 termine. 



